Winter Auction Series on Gibson's first birthday

Gibson’s Auctions is marking its first anniversary in business with a two-day sale entitled The Winter Auction Series, which over three sessions from 1pm Monday August 5 and 11am Tuesday August 6 will offer a comprehensive 789-lot range of jewellery, antique furniture, porcelain, sculptures, clocks, art and other collectables.

To be held at 885-889 High Street Armadale, jewellery will be auctioned on the Monday and features items with estimates ranging from several hundreds of dollars to many thousands – well within the reach of most auction goers.

Among the high end items is a substantial emerald sapphire and ruby set gold cross necklace by by Hardy Brothers (lot 8) with a catalogue estimate of $14,000-$16,000. Other top value pieces include an art deco diamond bracelet (lot 99) totalling 14.81 carats ($26,000-$32,000 estimate) and a pair of diamond stud earrings with GIA certificates (lot 98 - $15,000-$20,000 estimate).

A gold Cuban bracelet (lot 159) is another strong high end attraction along wiht an Omega gold 'Seamaster GMT Chronomoter' wristwatch (lot 174) and three gold curb link chains (lot 44).

Typical of the more affordable items is lot 15, a pair of emerald and diamond drop earrings with a catalogue estimate of $2400-$2800, while an unusual kyanite, onyx and diamond ring (lot 53) is bound to attract plenty of attention.

Also worth a look are two pairs of Spanish colonial style gold earrings (lots 151 and 152) for those buyers looking for something more exotic to wear.

Tuesday contains two sessions featuring furniture and collectables such as a fine 19^th century French Louis XVI style gilt bronze and marquetry centre table.

Among the porcelain on offer at the auction, a large pair of 1870s Belleek first period gilded porcelain urns (lot 258) is bound to turn heads.

One of the unusual auction highlights is a limited edition Grand Orrery (lot 415) - a three-dimensional model of how the planets orbit the Sun. Features include a circular brass plate engraved with the Zodiac signs, months of the year and the four seasons – surmounted by a brass sun and geared arms supporting the planets and moons of Earth’s solar system.

Models of solar system have been in existence since Roman times but mechanical models first appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 18th century when Ireland's Earl of Orrery had one made for his personal collection of scientific apparatus.

Models included the then known planets and moons out to Saturn with further discoveries added to orreries of the era in which they were found.

Lot 416 is an unusual flintlock key pistol, while lot 419 is a circa 1895 Ernst Plank Gauge III Vulkan passenger set live steam European outline locomotive.

Established in 1866, Ernst Plank & Company began as a toy repair shop in Nuremberg, Germany.

At one time the second largest manufacturer of magic lanterns and named after its founder, the company also made steam engines, die cast metal planes, boats, cars, steamboats and sewing machines produced from pressed tin plate.

Often ornate in design, the toys were notable for their quality and more finely finished than those produced by other manufacturers at the time.

Among the many porcelain items on offer is a Japanese sake cup (lot 482) by Aoki Mokubei (1767-1833).

Born into the Kiya family of restaurateurs, he adopted the surname Aoki only after he became a painter. Mokubei, one of the many artist’s names he created, dates from the time he became deaf from the noise of his ceramic kilns.